Boston, M.A. (February 7, 2022) – Some of the most well-known golf courses in the world have been deploying the GreenSight TurfCloud solution to vastly enhance the oversight and care of the turf while saving resources, time and money. Country clubs including Valhalla, Blackhawk, Manito and PGA Frisco Resort have deployed the system to help ensure that the courses remain pristine and meet the expectations of amateur golfers, club members and those on the PGA Tour alike.
GreenSight’s TurfCloud business is an end-to-end solution for professional turf management. The current systems provide integrated aerial survey robots and terrestrial sensors, all integrated around the TurfCloud application and running on GreenSight’s software platform. The aerial survey robots can fly over an entire 18-hole course in 30-40 minutes to measure temperature, moisture and salinity and feed this information, as well as video and infrared footage back to golf course superintendents when it automatically returns to its docking station.
“Having the GreenSight drone fly the course really helps us do so much more without having to be on the course all the time in person,” said Kevin Sullivan, director of agronomy at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif. “It’s so much more convenient being able to see everything that is happening on our course and it is much faster than just observing it from a cart ride. The biggest return on investment for us has been spraying less frequently. With the drone data, we are able to treat suspect spots for disease instead of just spraying a banket application, savings thousands.”
At Blackhawk, a TV screen was set up in the clubhouse so staff can look at the drone images the next day and address any actions that are required. Additionally, staff use the imagery to do comparisons over time and identify problems so they can more effectively plan out preventive maintenance.
It’s a similar story at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. “I can see the importance of the relationship between irrigation management and daily drone flights increase with every flight we do,” said John Ballard, who serves as superintendent of the club. “Having data about the course available so quickly and comprehensively really has helped us make moisture management decisions that have made key improvements to the course.”
The moisture and treatment management systems at courses that have deployed the TurfCloud system save resources, time and money. In regions where water is scarce, this can be critical. Additionally, the ability to focus treatments where they are most needed can reduce chemical usage.
“The efficiencies that are built into the system, combined with the bird’s eye view TurfCloud provides, have created dramatic improvements in professional turf management,” said James VanBuskirk, vice president of golf and agricultural sales at GreenSight. “We’ve been getting great feedback from golf course superintendents that have deployed the system and its clear that they are seeing numerous benefits due to the rich data they can instantly receive.”
About GreenSight
Headquartered in Boston, Mass., GreenSight is a full stack robotics company focused on expanding the commercial use of unmanned aerial robotics and using them to transform industry. With six patents and pending patents for data processing and remote sensing, the company’s products and systems including the longest endurance drone in the industry, robotic docking stations, cameras and sensors, remote piloting and scheduling systems, fast processing and machine learning, and digital transformation and analysis tools. Its systems and technology have been deployed around the world through agronomics applications including golf course and sporting venues’ turf management and through multiple U.S. Government agencies. Learn more at GreenSightAG.com.
